Grief-stricken parishioners packed a Daly City church Sunday, a day after a 6-year-old girl walking with her mother to religious school was struck by a car and killed in the church parking lot in front of dozens of horrified church-goers.

"The whole parish is praying for the family. No one has experienced anything like this. ... We're just praying up a storm for them," said the Rev. Piers Lahey, pastor at St. Andrew Catholic Church, where the incident happened just before 9 a.m. Saturday. "The kids, especially. A lot of kids saw this and we are very concerned for them."

The girl, identified by the San Francisco medical examiner's office as Danielle Naval of Daly City, was crossing the parking lot of St. Andrew amid the rush of families and other churchgoers hurrying to Mass and religious school. The driver of a 2007 Toyota minivan apparently lost control of her vehicle and it lurched forward, jumping a curb and pinning the girl, her mother and another woman on the ground, police and witnesses said.

At least six people rushed over and attempted to lift the car, said Jose Lobo, 70, of Daly City, who hurried out of church when he heard the commotion.

"They tried, but they couldn't lift it because it was too heavy," said Lobo, who wept Sunday as he recounted the tragedy. "Someone had a jack and they finally got the car lifted, but it was too late."

The three victims were transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where the girl later died of her injuries. Her mother and the other woman were still hospitalized Sunday.

The driver's name was not released and it was not clear Sunday what, if any, charges would be filed against her. The cause of the collision and circumstances surrounding it remain under investigation by Daly City police.

The tragedy devastated the tight-knit church community Sunday, as parishioners exchanged hugs and filed quietly into Mass. Orange spray paint left by police marked the area in the parking lot where the fatal incident occurred. Someone had placed a small bouquet of orange flowers on the curb.

Michele Bussey, who has taught religious education at St. Andrew for 28 years, was tearful Sunday as she prepared for the day's classes.

"All I have to say right now is, be careful. Pay attention. If you have kids, tell them you love them, every day," she said. "This could have happened to any of us."

The mood around the church has been "surreal," she said.

"It feels like something out of the Twilight Zone," she said. "No one here can believe it."

The parish, founded in 1968, has a predominantly Filipino congregation that frequently fills the church hall. It is so busy on weekends, in fact, that the parking lot is often crowded with motorists and pedestrians rushing to get to Mass and other events. On Sunday, drivers had double-parked throughout the lot, blocking lanes and creating somewhat of a gridlock.

San Francisco's new archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone, offered his condolences to the congregation on Saturday, Lahey said. The church plans to bring in grief counselors to help the dozens of children who knew the girl or witnessed the incident, he said.

Many parishioners said they felt equal compassion for the driver of the car, who apparently suffered a momentary lapse that will probably haunt her forever.

"Accidents happen all the time," said Eriel Villena, 37, of Daly City, who was attending Mass on Sunday with his 3-year-old son. "You'd never think something like this would happen, in a church parking lot of all places."